ABOUT CHEF DAS

Chef Darrell ‘DAS’ Smith, was born and raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan where he learned most of his cooking skills from his mother. His love for food and the culinary arts began to further develop at the age of 19 while training at Atlanta Technical College, where he focused on American cuisine. Shortly after graduation, Chef Das landed a position in Detroit, Michigan where he taught youth how to find motivation and express themselves, using food as a creative outlet. His admiration for teaching and food prompted an uncalculated move to Los Angeles, CA where he worked to hone his craft and create a living for himself as a full-time chef.

Chef Das’s commitment to sharing his love for food through education, his invigorating energy, and his undeniable ability to attract an audience of young adults led him to create and institute a culinary arts program at Beverly Hills High School. The program has been a huge success, attracting students that aspire to expand their culinary horizons.

Chef Das was selected to prepare cuisine for the First Lady of the United States’, Michelle Obama, luncheon. Recognized by the masses for his ability to create delicious cuisine, Chef Das has been featured on the Food Network’s hit shows “Next Food Network Star” and “The Great Food Truck Race”. He also served as a recurring expert on the Oprah Winfrey Network’s hit series, “Home Made Simple.” Chef Das has also developed a culinary summer camp that teaches children how to have fun while cooking. Most recently, Chef Das was the personal chef to entertainment mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Through his infectious passion and excitement for everything culinary, Das is taking his career to the next level by creating fun and useful programming through television, books, workshops and more. When asked about his culinary inspirations, Das’s humble response is consistently “My inspiration is the people I feed.”